PERMABLITZ COMES TO SYDNEY 

A week of rain on either side cleared to make way for a beautiful sunny November Sunday, and Sydney’s first ever permablitz! The backyard of 87 Wigram Rd in Glebe was the scene, with waist high asthma weed and broken glass setting the challenge for the first arrivals (ah, inner city living!). None were put off however, with many diving straight in with pitch forks, shovels, gloves (of both the garden and sink variety) and even bare hands!  

Once the weeds were cleared the basic design – including no dig garden beds, a terracotta pot watering system and homemade rainwater tanks – was laid out and throngs of happy gardeners began wetting newspaper, shovelling mulch and planting seedlings. With over 40(!) participants throughout the course of the day, jobs seemed to be done in no time and all sorts of very welcome donations arrived on the day - from tools and mulch to seedlings and lots of yummy food! Especially exciting was the discovery by our new-found Italian friends, Alessandra and Emmanuele, that the large leafy tree in the middle of the backyard is a persimmon!  Who says rental properties have hopeless backyards? 

The event was organised by members of the newly re-formed Sydney Friends of the Earth group and was attended by members of a variety of local community gardens, environment groups and many happy punters also. A contact list has been established to help organise the next blitz, and the facebook page just continues to grow – over 100 members and still getting bigger! Expressions of interest are now being taken for the next blitz, so get in quick if you want it to be your place! For those interested in attending the next Friends of the Earth meeting, it will be on Tuesday November 20 from 6pm. And the location? 87 Wigram Rd Glebe of course! So you can all come along and check out the results! 

Before the blitz…

Getting stuck in…. 

Kicking back afterwards, beneath our new friend the persimmon tree.